


A Quiet Day At The Shore

by Duane_S_Hall



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24471898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duane_S_Hall/pseuds/Duane_S_Hall
Summary: A man heads out to explore the ocean alone in a new way
Collections: The Abyss's Flash Fiction Compendium





	A Quiet Day At The Shore

The beach was reached by a scenic hike through overgrown ferns and pristine spruce woodlands that stretched far beyond his usual weekend trail.. Experience cautioned him to carry essential supplies for surviving the worst that the day may bring. He released himself from his backpack’s harness to check the compass, map and first aid kit before daring to step foot out into the muddy shore . High tide was about two hours away, judging by the distance from the treeline to the sea. As a natural constant, it could neither be rushed nor delayed. He could only bend and adapt to it as all life connected to the sea must. 

His thick woolen sweater was peeled away with tender care for his sore back and shoulder muscles, exposing a skintight dive skin to be worn under his custom swimsuit. Rugged leather shoes, thick woolen socks and denim jeans were neatly set aside his backpack in the relative safety of a massive fern bush. After his past week, it would have been easy to stay home and relax his pain away. Easy paths were rarely worth taking. Today was for new experiences and, with luck, new passions. The window of opportunity presented by rising tides was closing.

He first captured the mermaid’s likeness in clay, then in pale silicone. Its details, like the rest of his costume, were to help him blend in with the aquatic wildlife as best as his human form would allow. He slipped it out of his backpack and admired the iridescent scales that were embedded across the surface of his silicone mask as well as the rest of his suit. His size alone marked him as a potential predator but the skin’s hypnotic shimmer might enable him to get close. Its eyes, bulbous and alien, were hard plastic lenses that would help him see more clearly in the murky depths. Hair would have been a nuisance so its scalp, aside from its scales, was kept bare. 

He slathered his face, neck and clean-shaven scalp with a slow-setting liquid adhesive. The last thing he wanted was for water to seep into the goggles of the mask and effectively blind him. It was stretched wide in his hands and pulled over his head so its neck could snap around his throat. It had to be massaged and manipulated quickly to improve its fit around his eyes, mouth and nostrils before the adhesive could fix it in place.

The mermaid suit and tail shimmered in the sunlight as it was heaved toward the shore. He would have to suit up in the waves since walking would be impossible once he was inside of it. One leg then the other slipped inside and he was seated in her shapely hips in the wet sand to feel the waves beat against him. One arm then the other found their place in their neoprene gloves and sleeves that would protect him from the sharp rocks and cold currents of the ocean depths. Finally, its breasts setted against his chest and the elastic collar found its place around his neck and joined with his mask to complete his external transformation into an otherworldly explorer of the natural world.

He slid about in the water in his warm cocoon to face the abyss. His hands pushed off against the shells and sand and his face dove into the water. His face was colder than expected as the silicone provided far less insulation than the heavy neoprene of his suit. It was tolerable pain in the pursuit of beauty. Soon his hands were no longer needed for propulsion as his legs kicked and his tail cut through the ocean’s resistance. As the shore was left behind, he held his arms to his side and allowed his hips to propel him forward and away into the bliss of the unknown.


End file.
